The first laugh line of this National League Division Series came on Friday afternoon, when San Diego Padres manager Mike Shildt was asked how his club planned to attack Shohei Ohtani.
“I’m not telling you,” Shildt responded with a chuckle, one reciprocated by the mass of media members before him at his pre-NLDS news conference.
“He’s a great player, he’s having an historic year,” Shildt added. “But we feel good about our plan.”
The second moment of levity, on the eve of the Dodgers-Padres best-of-five series, came a few hours later. And this time, it was prompted by Ohtani himself.
Sitting in the same swivel chair inside the Dodger Stadium interview room, Ohtani was asked if he was at all nervous about his first MLB postseason, which will begin with Game 1 on Saturday night.
To his left, Ohtani’s interpreter, Will Ireton, started to translate the question to Japanese. But before he could finish, Ohtani answered himself in English.
“Nope,” he said with a quick smirk, and a soft shake of his head.
More laughter from the assembled media ensued.
The stage for a highly anticipated playoff series was set.
Of all the factors that could determine the NLDS, Ohtani’s performance might loom largest in the equation.
And like many teams he faced this year, he played well against the Padres in the regular season.
Over 12 games against San Diego, the likely NL most valuable player batted 15 for 46 (for a .326 average) with six doubles, a home run and a .922 OPS. During the teams’ meeting at Dodger Stadium last week, Ohtani had go-ahead hits back-to-back nights, helping lift the Dodgers to consecutive wins that clinched their NL West division.
“He’s the most talented hitter on the field,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “He can change the game in a lot of different ways.”
Still, when the NLDS kicks off on Saturday, Ohtani will be in uncharted territory — playing under an October spotlight for the first time in his seven-year MLB career.
It’s pressure the 30-year-old slugger said he was embracing on Friday, calling his first postseason appearance a “childhood dream” and one he’d been anxiously awaiting since arriving from Japan in 2018.
“I think the excitement of [playing in the playoffs] is greater than anything else that I could possibly feel,” Ohtani said through Ireton.
Nerves included, apparently.
“If there’s any person that I feel that’s going to be able to handle this, it’s certainly Shohei,” Roberts echoed. “I think he just brings a next-level megastar to our ballclub.”
Ohtani should get chances to produce in the NLDS, with Shildt indicating that the Padres have no plans to simply pitch around him.
“Yeah, you want to take Shohei out of the equation,” Shildt said. “But … I’m not a guy that likes to run from competition a whole lot. We clearly tip our hat, and he’s clearly a very exceptional player. But I believe in our guys, too.”
“We feel confident that we have the ability to get Ohtani out,” Shildt added.
San Diego’s Game 1 starter, spring training trade acquisition Dylan Cease, will get the first crack at that challenge Saturday night. While Cease has held Ohtani to just four hits in 15 at-bats against him, two of those knocks have been home runs, and this year Ohtani reached base in three of his six plate appearances against the hard-throwing right-hander, including a walk and a double in the Dodgers’ Sept. 25 win.
“You’ve got to mix it up and do the best you can to not leave it over the heart of the plate, really,” Cease said. “I don’t want to get into too many details on anything, but he’s obviously a great hitter. So I’m going to go in with a high level of focus and just attack.”
The Padres’ real advantage against Ohtani figures to come from their left-handed-heavy bullpen.
Trade deadline addition Tanner Scott has been one of the tougher pitchers on Ohtani in his career, holding him to just a one-for-nine mark with a walk in 10 previous plate appearances. San Diego has three other southpaws to throw at the left-handed slugger, including Wandy Peralta (against whom Ohtani is two for seven in his career), Adrian Morejon (three for four with a home run) and Yuki Matsui (three for five).
“A lot of times, we [will] have a lefty on Ohtani, which we prefer,” Shildt said, referencing Ohtani’s .288 batting average and .867 OPS against left-handers this year, compared to his .322 average and 1.128 OPS against righties. “The numbers bear that out, and we like our lefties.”
The one thing Shildt and Cease said is that the Padres would be wary of pitching too cautiously to Ohtani. After all, the Dodgers will have at least one former MVP following him in the batting order in Mookie Betts, and potentially another if Freeman recovers from his sprained ankle in time for Game 1 (which Roberts said was still his expectation as of Friday afternoon).
“If you pitch timidly and you walk guys or you fall behind, you’re really just setting yourself up for failure,” Cease said. “At the end of the day, it’s a challenge and it’s difficult, but you’ve got to kind of rise to the occasion and meet it.”
As Ohtani begins his first postseason — seven years, 860 games and more than 3,000 at-bats after he arrived in the major leagues — the same will also apply to him.
“I’m very thankful for the people who supported me over the years,” Ohtani said. “And really I just want to return the favor by making sure that I’m enjoying and focusing on the game.”
